Sixteen of many
by sectumsempra-static
Summary: It is a few days till Harry's birthday after what happened at the Ministry. And who should he get a letter from?---\Chapter 4 is up! Chapter 5 will be up soon also, just got to work out some kinks Enjoy
1. Camp Dursley

AN: Good day, this is my first ever attempt to write a fan fic

all I can say is that I will take reviews as they come and I thank each and every person who took time out of their day to review. If you don't review I don't mind but I would like to have some criticism. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the first chapter of what will be many.

PS: This may be a little out of character

**Sixteen Of Many  
**

**Chapter one – Camp Dursley**

It was a cold July morning in the Burrow and all the residents were asleep, bar one. Ginny Wesley, a young witch attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry was astounded at herself after what her, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna managed to do at the department of mysteries less than a week ago. The odds were stacked against them but she and all her friends managed to come out of it alive.

She had wondered how they had done it. Was is due to the lessons that Harry was giving in the DA? Or was it that they all felt like they were actually helping the cause instead of just sitting behind the high walls of Hogwarts. Whatever it was she was glad she and her classmates had some form of luck on their side.

The death of Sirius ought to be tough on Harry, this was the second time that he had seen someone die right before his eyes before. When Sirius was pushed into the veil by Bellatrix an unknown emotion swelled over Harry's face. It wasn't anger or hate. It was much much more. She has just taken the closest thing to a family away from him. Ginny saw Harry sprinting after Bellatrix. At that moment Ginny didn't know what to think. What was he going to do? Was he going to kill her? She didn't want to think about it. Or for that matter anything that happened after that point. The point she was trying to make in her head was that she was scared, scared of the expression that Harry's face had. She knew then that Harry was headed for something that she couldn't control and also that none of his friends could ever understand. She decided to write him a letter

Ginny thought to herself. Harry is probably going through a lot at the moment, but Hermione would've already sent him a letter telling him that he should open up and talk about it. Ginny decided to take a different approach.

Upon finishing the letter Ginny rolled it up and gave it to Errol the Weasly family owl and told the owl to deliver it to Harry. She didn't know what to think. She had just written to Harry Potter, the boy who saved her life in her first year from the memory of Voldemort and for 3 years after that she was the self proclaimed president of the Harry Potter fan club.

Ginny had always had a crush on Harry. She knew that he would never feel the same way. Mainly because she thought that he just saw her as Ron's little sister. Which was a adequate assumption to make. After all she is Ron's little sister. For a ling time she wondered about that which happened after what happened in the Chamber Of Secrets with the Diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle and the great Basilisk. Harry had saved her life. He really was a hero in her eyes. After doing so her and Harry didn't really speak much. It was as though he had saved her life and merely forgotten about her. Of course she thought she was being a bit melodramatic but she couldn't help herself. Writing that letter brought up some strange memories. Memories that she didn't really want to have brought up.

oOoOoOo

As Harry awoke early that morning he trundled downstairs to the bathroom to prepare for yet another horrible day in the house of his relatives the Dursley's. Harry despised them for all the years he was locked in that cupboard under the stairs. After the morning trip to the bathroom Harry decided he was not quite awake enough yet to brave the kitchen. He didn't really wanted to be scolded and berated with questions at this hour of the morning.

He thought it would be best if he just sit in his room and pay some attention to Hedwig. After about forty minutes of playing with the snowy white owl Harry heard a tapping at his window. It was Errol. "Errol, what are you doing here?" he asked in shock. Once asking this Harry opened his window and Errol more so fell than flew in. Upon falling the owl dropped a piece of parchment with Harry's name on it. He had never seen this type of handwriting before it was very neat and tidy with little loops around the bottom of the R's. Harry was very confused. He decided to open it up and give it a read.

_Dear Harry_

_I guess your wondering first off, who's handwriting is this. Its Ginny, you know? Ron's little sister? I know that we haven't really spoken much in the past, mainly cause I have always been hiding behind a book or trying to avoid you in the corridors. I thought I would write to you and give you thanks. Thank you for instructing me in the DA last year. It has really helped my confidence with tougher spells and the reason why these spells need to be used. _

_I have made it my decision that this year I wont be taking my "OWL's" all to seriously mainly because I have a feeling that soon we will be at war with Voldemort. Somehow I don't see my OWL results being all that important when the war comes around. Sure it may be nice to see a lot of O's on a piece of graded parchment but I think id rather help. _

_My main reasoning for this has come from what you were teaching us in the DA. I didn't know that I was capable of performing some of the spells that you were teaching us. I was shocked at myself. I learned more from you in those lessons that I did in DADA that year, mainly because of that fowl old Umbridge. You are a really good teacher. I know that a lot of the others are probably thinking the same thing I am in regards to your teaching, especially Neville and Luna_

_I don't really know how I can express what I am about to say next but Im sure that you will understand. I am sorry that you are stuck in that place with the Dursley's. They really are Horrible to you from what I have heard. I still keep thinking of my first year preparations and how Fred, George and Ron had to bring you to the Burrow. Ron said that they put bars on your windows. That's not right. A twelve year old boy should never have bars on his windows. I'm only hoping that they have calmed down a bit, now that they know you are getting older but I have a feeling I would have to hold my breath to that._

_Anyways Harry I just wanted to say thanks. If you can write back please do. I would really like to hear from you. _

_Hoping you are well_

_Ginny_

Ginny? Harry was utterly dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say. Ginny Weasly, "Ron's little sister" as she had so plainly put it had just written him a letter. This was very odd considering that this was the first time he had heard from anyone over the summer. And it came from the person he did not expect at the slightest. He had expected to hear from Ron or Hermoine first, but Ginny?. At any rate this new piece of information did nothing but astound him. He wasn't really sure what he would do next. Errol decided to let him know but flapping her wings anxiously.

Harry knew what he must do. Write back of course. But what to write? Should he say thanks? Or should he be entirely honest and tell her that she was the last person she expected to write to him? He really didn't know. At any rate he decided he would write back straight away. Mainly because Errol seemed to be getting quite agitated. He picked up his quill, unfolded a piece of spare parchment that was sprawled over his desk and began to write.

_Dear Ginny_

_I don't know where to begin. I will be honest however. You were the last person that I had expected to write to me during my stay at the Dursley's. Although I wouldn't really call it a "stay", more like an imprisonment. So I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you. When I saw an owl at my window I was so happy, when I unfolded the parchment and saw the unfamiliar handwriting I was a little confused but all seemed well. _

_I do have to admit that I am a little shocked at what you said about you OWL's. I must admit that you are correct. A war is upon us and we must do everything in our power to stop Voldemort and his army. If you are serious in this then I will consider re opening the DA to a select few students who think that they are up to the challenge. _

_Again I say this, thanks a lot for what you said in your letter about the DA. I wasn't expecting it to go like that. To be perfectly honest I wasn't sure how I was expecting it to go. Although I am glad that at least one person thought it was worthwhile. You and a select others were progressing a lot faster than I had expected. I can't believe that you conjured a Corporeal Patronus! I was very shocked but also very proud of you. _

_The Dursley's haven't gotten any better this time around. In fact I think I would rather stay in my room the whole time then go downstairs and face them. Not that I am afraid of them or anything. Its just that I don't want to deal with their lack off acceptance towards the world I hold most dear. The way I look at it, and makes me feel a whole lot better, is that I am not at home. Hogwarts is my home, the Dursley's is more of a camp. A camp that pushes me to want to continue my education at school. _

_  
So far I haven't really got anything to report about them. Well if you excuse the lack of food, but I am getting by just fine._

_Ginny, thank you so much for this letter. It has raised my spirits a lot and I am grateful for that. I am still quite annoyed that Ron and Hermoine haven't even bothered to write to me over the holidays, but I am inclined to find out why. _

_If you get the chance I would like to hear from you again. _

_Harry _

**AN..**

And thus ends the first chapter but I will be posting another soon, if you do review I thank you a lot as like I said im new to this and I appreciate all reviews. See ya!


	2. Victory and Defeat?

**AN:**

Thanks again to all those who have read Chapter one. Makes me think that there is a reason to keep writing. Anyways I want to thank Emily and Tarra for being my Beta Readers. They have really helped.

And without any further ado...

**Chapter 2 – Victory and Defeat?**

As Harry finished his letter to Ginny, he couldn't stop wondering. "_What am I doing? Ron would have a fit if he knew about this!" _But as Harry said he realized why he had wrote the letter in the first place. Ron hadn't written to him all summer, it was getting close to his birthday, not like harry cared, and he knew that Ron would just talk about something to do with Quidditch. That really got on Harry's nerves sometimes. Ron had a funny way of doing that to him. "Thump!" As harry turned around in fright at the sudden bang he had noticed that Errol had fallen off the top of his wardrobe. Chuckling to himself a little, he rolled up the parchment and tied it to Errols foot telling him to deliver it to Ginny. As the owl seemed to struggle to fly away in the direction of The Burrow, Harry started to feel that even though his summer seemed to be going fairly shocking at the moment, he may have a reason to feel a little better about himself if he stayed in contact with someone. Even if it was Ginny.

A few hours after the typical dinner at The Burrow, Ginny went up to her room. Inside she had discovered that Errol was sitting at her window sill. "Hello Errol" she said unexpectedly "Did Harry write back?" After asking this Errol lifted his leg with the parchment attached and gestured towards Ginny. "Ah so he did write back, thank you Errol" And with that she gave to old family owl a owl treat and away he flew.

Ginny unrolled the parchment and inside she found the letter from Harry. As she started to read the letter she couldn't help but think that Harry was being rather honest. Which seemed strange as Ron always described him as someone that hid everything inside. Ginny thought that maybe if she kept on writing to Harry then maybe he might feel a little more comfortable about expressing his feelings, and she might find it easier to talk to him. Although Ginny had grown up a lot since the incident with Tom Riddle's diary, she was still convinced that if she even tried to talk to Harry, she would say something stupid. This fear swelled through Ginny ever since the moment Harry had saved her inside the Chamber Of Secrets in her first year. Harry Potter had saved her life, she felt that it was about time that she pucked up the courage and spoke to him more often. Even if to start out with it was just letters.

A few days had past and it was now July 30th, 1 day until Harry's birthday. Ginny decided that she would send Harry a letter wishing him a happy birthday. She felt horrible that she hadn't gotten him anything but she thought that he would not mind if he got his present a little late. But what to get him? She didn't really know what Harry's interests were. If she asked Ron he might get a little confused about why she was asking and start to assume something. So she decided to ask her mum.

As Ginny made her way down the stairs from the landing her bedroom was on she wondered on how to ask her mum what she should get him. She said to herself "_Just ask her, what is she going to say_?" Obviously Ginny had not prepared well for what she was in for from her mother. As she made her way into the living room she saw her mum sitting in front of the fire reading the D_aily Profit_. "Hey mum?"

"Yes dear?" with a smile across her face Molly began to look as if she was expecting Ginny to ask her for something ridiculous. Having children all in their teens had done this to her.

"I was just wondering if you knew what kind of things Harry liked? Its his birthday tomorrow and I want to get him something."

"Like what dear?" Molly asked in a questionable tone.

"I don't really know, that's why I came to ask you. I just thought you might know something about him. " And then it hit her. She knew exactly what to get him. Sure it may have been a bit arrogant of her but she was sure that it may bring some happiness to his day. She hurried up to her room to make preparations.

"Well that was strange" muttered Molly as she turned her head back towards the _Daily Profit. _Ginny burst into her room with enough force to slam the door on the inside of the room. "Ginny? What was that?" yelled Molly.

"Nothing mum, just my door" Ginny said as she quickly closed the door to muffle out the sounds of her mother screaming something from downstairs. Ginny rushed to her desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill . She started to feel nervous. "Snap out of it!" she exclaimed with frustration. Why was she feeling nervous about this particular letter. She didn't know, nor did she care. She began to write.

July 31st , Harry's birthday. The day started out as any other would. Harry awoke from his bed in his awfully small room at the Dursley's, then proceeded to the bathroom to go to the toilet and shower. After he was done in the bathroom he proceeded to the kitchen where he was, as usual, not greeted by the overly large Uncle Vernon.

"Anything happen to_ you lot _when you turn 16?" Uncle Vernon said in a demanding fashion. Harry couldn't stand it when he referred to him and the rest of the Wizarding world as "_you lot_". But Harry also got satisfaction in what his Uncle was asking, as Harry knew he was as ignorant as he was fat. He also hated how he used the word "to" as if a dragon was going to whisk him away to a spectacular party deep within the clouds above London. Harry knew nothing like that was going to happen but it didn't hurt to imagine it.

"Nope, don't think so at least." Harry retorted with a condescending yet neutral grin. Whilst awaiting his uncles feeble response he decided it wasn't worth him making any breakfast, he didn't want to be berated with abusive remarks from his uncle. Instead he just waited for a response. But none came, instead his uncle just leaned back in his armchair reading the newspaper as If he didn't have a care in the world as to what Harry had said. Harry considered this to be a victory, although, it was also a loss. Harry had the last word in the argument, but a small part of him wanted the man to come back at him. Him just sitting there reading insisted that he could not care in the slightest . This was no surprise to Harry, he could still not consider this to be a full victory though. With that, he walked back up the stairs and entered his room.

Upon arrival he had noticed that Errol was yet again sitting on his window sill."Sorry Errol, maybe ill just leave it open from now on" as Harry said that Errol hopped into his room and held out his leg. Attached to it was another parchment, upon the parchment was the same handwriting that he had seen the last time he saw Errol. Ginny had finally written her reply.

**AN: **I thank those who left me reviews. I know that this chapter was short but it was intended to be. I was trying to build a little of Vernon's character in this fic. I hope it worked...Anyways the next chapter should be up soon. I just have to plan it out a bit more.

Thanks for reading


	3. Letters to you

AN: And here it is. The 3rd chapter. This ones are a little bit longer, but I don't think that anybody is going to have a problem with that...At least I hope not :P

Also, i'm very sorry about the mix up with Harry's birthday in chapter 2...I have a feeling that may have upset some people, and for that I apoligise.

Anyway here is chapter 3.

**Chapter 3 - Letters to you...  
**

At the moment he saw Errol at his window Harry was taken over with a swell of happiness. He had received a letter on his birthday. Although it might not have been from anyone he would have most liked to receive something from, this was still more than suitable. He had wondered why Hermione and Ron had not written to him. This upset him a little, shrugging off the thought Harry unrolled the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Harry_

_Happy 16th Birthday! I hope that it hasn't been as miserable as I think it has. I have organised your present but it might take a couple of days at most to get it. I'm sorry about that, I only realised yesterday that it was your birthday the day after and I had to get cracking on my plans. I am going to keep this letter a little short, only because Mum needs me to do some things with her today. She says hello and so does Dad. They are both worried about you._ _Mum is considering asking the twins to perform another breakout so you can stay here. Ron said that you will be getting his letter very soon and he is sorry that It may be late.  
_

_With love_

_Ginny_

_With love? _Harry thought to himself. What does she mean with love? As Harry struggled to define what Ginny was saying in the letter, he decided it was best not to dwell on it.

Harry had often thought about Ginny. She had grown into quite the young woman since their ordeal inside the chamber of secrets. She was smart, cute, had a great sense of humour and could dish out one mean Bat Bogey hex if you got on her wrong side. On one hand, Harry was terrified of her. Ginny was defiantly someone whom you didn't want to have against you. Harry started to see Ginny more as a friend than just Ron's little sister. He was glad that he had someone like her in his life. Harry got the feeling that Ginny was just one of those people he could spend hours talking to about nothing to do with anything. Harry had just noticed himself picturing her in his mind. _Snap out of it!_ Harry lightly slapped himself and started to focus on the task at hand. Writing his reply to Ginny.

_Dear Ginny_

_Thank you very much for the kind birthday wishes. It has been a long time since any body has said that to me sincerely. I must admit I am quite intriguid about what this mystery present is. Although I was not expecting anything but a happy birthday message. I didn't even get one from Uncle Vernon this morning. _

_Ginny, I have something I wish to tell you. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this, and I would like to say that I would love to get to know you better as a person. Rather than you being Ron's little sister, or a former student of my DA classes. I have a feeling that you and I could become quite good friends someday and I would love nothing more that to sit and have a glass of butterbeer with you. I know that this may seem a bit forward, although with thhe upcoming war ahead I think that everyone could use more people that they could rely on. Don't get me wrong I do rely on Ron and Hermione a lot. Its just that I have all these people around me that I now feel I was kinda ignoring. _

_Take Neville for example. I can see Neville writing a book or becoming the herbology professor someday at hogwarts. Sure he may not have much luck with other things, but he did show a lot of aptitude and even more success in the DA classes. I would really like him to be involved in this too. _

_  
And Luna, she is by far the most interesting person I have ever met. Luna might be peculiar at times but she has really shown her true colours. She is very sweet and can throw a curse to boot. Sure she says some weird things sometimes but now that I realise I want to have her in my circle of friends, I cant wait to hear more of the ever sneaky Nargles._

_I hope that this essay of a letter has not taken you by surprise. I just needed to get some things off my chest. I feel that I can talk to you. Without having to suffer a barrage of questions from Hermione and some nonsensical rant about being ok from Ron. If you don't want me to berate you with rants about feelings any more I understand. I just thought I would let you know. _

_Anyway Ginny, thank you again for the kind birthday wishes and I hope that I hear from you soon. _

_PS; Cant wait to see the present you got me._

_Always_

_Harry_

Feeling good about the letter he had just written to Ginny, Harry rolled up the piece of parchment and gave it to Errol. He told the ever ageing Owl to deliver it back to Ginny. He gave Errol an Owl treat and set him off. Watching Errol fly off into the distance, Harry's thoughts got lost in the morphing clouds that swelled over England

As Harry found himself lost within the clouds, he suddenly felt like he had taken a step forward in his potential friendship with Ginny. He was happy that she had written to him. He defiantly felt as though, he was making new friends. A small part of him wished that he could make this friendship with Ginny last as long as the friendship he had with his two best friends Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione to him were the family he never had. He had shared everything with them. Well... nearly everything. There were some aspects of Harry's life that he did not want to discuss with them. And for good reason. If he had mentioned half of the things that happened to him when he was a child, Hermione would start telling him to report to the proper authorities or even worse Dumbledore. And Ron would most likley say something along the lines of "Bloody hell!, thats barking man Harry". Although Harry didn't mind ron talking like this as it seemed to bring out a side of Harry that could only be described as comfort.

It was nice to think that Harry may end up having a person that was neither Ron or Hermione. Somebody that took a neutral look towards things. All he had really been wanting is for somebody to tell him its ok. Not to start shooting off remarks or opinions. At the same time Harry was terrified. He assumed the worst would happen and Ginny would not want to be friends as it would come in-between him and Ron. He was also scared that if she said yes and was just another friend whom blatantly shot off excuses and threats for what has happened. Hoping that none of these would happen, with nothing better to do on his birthday he lay down on his bed continuley thinking about what he had said to Ginny and slowly started to doze off into a mid-afternoon nap.

As Harry slept leaving his window opened, a nice breeze was flowing gently into his bedroom. With the breeze circling the room Harry started to feel a slight cold, which woke him from his pleasant nap. He slowly crawled out of the bed and started to gather the blanket that was all askew at the foot of his miniscule bed. Not expecting any more letters for atleast another day, Harry thought that it was best to close his window. Upon leaving his bed he noticed that there were 2 pieces of rolled up parchment on his desk. Not knowing who they were from or how they got there he picked them up and trundled back into his bed.

As Harry looked at his name written on the parchment, he did not recognise the handwriting. He assumed that it was a teacher from Hogwarts sending him birthday regards. Unrolling the parchment he read the letter aloud in his head.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday, you are probably wondering who this is from. It's Neville Longbottom, how have you been over the holidays? How are your Muggle relatives treating you this year? Gran has told me to wish you a happy birthday and hopes that you dont get yourself into any more trouble this year. She didn't say anything about me though, which I thought was a little strange. Oh I almost forgot, Ginny has asked me to tell you that this is her present to you. Well one of them, she Owl'd me and told me to write to you. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. Anyways mate I hope that the rest of your summer goes ok. I have to go now. Gran wants me to help her with some of the gardening. She likes that fact that I am interested in plants. I think she got a hint when she saw my Herbology test results from 3rd year. _

_Can't wait to see you next term_

_Neville_

_PS; Will the DA be starting up again? I am feeling a bit rusty._

As Harry finished the letter he couldn't help but smile. He had gotten something for his birthday that he actually wanted. He just wanted to hear from some of his friends. It was definatly the best birthday ever In his opinion. He was still shocked at what Neville told him in the letter. This was all Ginny's idea? he was speechless. Without hesitation, he placed Neville's letter in his desk and began to unroll the second piece of parchment with unfamiliar handwriting. Upon doing so he began to read,

_Dear Harry_

_Its Luna here I was just writing to tell you, congratulations! You are 1 year older. 16 years old now, if you were a girl It would be a historic event no doubt. I hope you are having a nice summer. Most of my summer has been spent at home with dad. He occaisionally mentions how upset he is that he didn't get to go looking for the Icelandian Wobblewimp. Apparantly they are currently infesting small villages and causing people to laugh histerically. According to the villagers its quite a big problem. I think the world needs more laughter, dont you? Other than that my summer has been quite has yours been? I cant wait to hear all about it over pudding, or maybe over some tea. _

_Happy birthday Harry._

_Luna Lovegood_

Harry could not stop smiling. He was so happy, he just wanted to scream with every breath he had in his lungs. This had been the happiest he had felt in a long time. Harry still couldn't believe the effort that Ginny had undergone for his birthday present. It was quite strange that Harry had not received anything from either Ron or Hermione yet. Normally he would get an Owl at the crack of dawn from them. Maybe they were busy he thought to himself. Well maybe Hermione was busy, Ron on the other hand had no excuse. Ginny had told Harry that Ron's letter would be coming soon.

As much as Harry hoped, the letter from Ron never came. He felt hurt, somewhat betrayed but most of all he was dissapointed. Dissapointed in his best friend for not having the desency to write to him on his birthday. Harry felt that he may be reading into it abit to much and maybe Ron was planning something. He doubted it, although it was a possibilty. He was sitting in his room until late hours of the night reading his birthday letters over and over again. Satisfied with how today had gone, it was now very late and he needed sleep. Harry got up from his desk and collapsed on his bed, immediately falling straight to sleep.


	4. New Beginning

Chapter 4 – New beginning

The air of the office of Albus Dumbledore was a very interesting place most of the time. At the moment though the air seemed to have a very concerning nature. Dumbledore was intensely worried about what Harry had told him about the prophecy regarding Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore already knew the whole prophecy, he was just worried about how much Harry had learned before he was cut short in the department of mysteries. Albus knew that Harry did not fully comprehend what the prophecy meant but it would not be long before he found out. Harry was a very determined boy, very keen on his goals. Albus knew that if Harry was going to do something then he was going to do it through and through. The amount of truth behind this thought terrified Ablus. He was not fully prepared for the events to come.

As Harry awoke the morning after his birthday, he felt thankful. Thankful that his friends were still with him. Well more of less, he still had not heard anything from Ron or Hermione. He had expected them to at leat write to him or something. He wasn't expecting a present or anything. Just a word about how they have been. He thought that Hermione would have been studying this years material like there was no tomorrow, so she might have been a bit caught up. Ron although had no excuse. He was living with Ginny at The Burrow and he was sure that Ron knew of the letters he and Ginny had been exchanging.

It was later in the day than Harry expected so he decided to skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. As he got out of his bed and got dressed into the oversized clothes that once belonged to his rather large cousin Dudley, he heard the sound of tapping. Looking over at his window he saw Errol. Immediately Harry ran over to the window and opened it. Errol gave a slight hoot and flew around the room in circles, afterwards taking his normal position on top of his wardrobe. Whilst flying around the room Errol dropped 2 pieces of parchment onto Harry's bed. Harry automatically assumed that the letters would be from Ginny and the other from Ron. He was wrong. The letters had actually been from Molly and Arthur Weasly as well as Ginny. Harry was furious, he cant believe that Ron could not take time out of his day to write to him. Harry couldn't believe it, even his mother and father had written to him. Trying not to get too angry Harry unrolled the parchment from Molly and Arthur and began to read

_Dearest Harry_

_Hello Harry its Molly here and it is with great pleasure that i inform you that Dumbledore has allowed you to come and stay with us at the Burrow for the rest of the summer holiday. We will be coming to get you at 3:00 pm on August the 1st, the day that you receive this letter. We will not be using the enchanted car only because it is too risky. Instead you will be picked up by Arthur and myself and transported from your home to ours by Side-along Apparation. Don't worry dear there is nothing to worry about. Ooh Arthur wants to say something._

_Thank you Molly dear. Hello Harry, how are you doing there. We have made sure that your stay with us will be most enjoyable. I myself have made sure that there will be no boredom what so ever. I have managed to come across a few new muggle items I think you may enjoy. One of them is a rather large table with green felt on it. When I purchased it I was quite confused as it was littered with little different coloured balls. The man I purchased it from said that you hit the little balls with these long sticks into the tiny holes in each corner and on the sides. Called it "Pool". Rather strange name as it does not have anything to do with what I have read about these "Pools" there is no water involved in this game. Anyway enough with that, we will be coming to get you at 3 as Molly said. We would like you to be packed and ready by the time we get there so we don't have to hang around too long. _

_We look forward to seeing you and I look forward to seeing what you make of this funny Pool game I bought._

_See you at 3,_

_Arthur and Molly Weasly_

"YES!" breathed Harry as he pumped his fist into the air. Immediately after reading the letter from Arthur and Molly, Harry began to pack. He grabbed his trunk from the end of the room and started lobbing clothes into it. Being a bit more careful with his school supplies however. Harry casually glanced down at his watch and could not believe his eyes it was nearly 2 o'clock. He had to hurry, taking the time into consideration Harry begun to pack quickly. In the heat of packing he nearly forgot the other letter that came with Errol. He assumed that it was form Ron. He bent down and picket it up starting to read,

_Dear Harry_

_Sorry about the late letter, we really need to talk._

_PS: Happy birthday_

_Ron_

The fact that Ron did write to him finally was nice. Harry was however quite annoyed at the amount of time it took him to write. He thought Ron was his best friend. Sombosy he could rely on. Obviously not, however he did say happy birthday. Which Harry saw as something worth noting. Harry wondered what Ron wanted to talk to him about. He suspected it was something to do with Ginny. Harry didn't think that it was any of Ron's business who he spoke to, but Ron was a confusing bloke. Harry couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling. He was angry, he was hurt but most of all he was dissapointed with Ron.

2:45, realising the time Harry finished packing his trunk in a hurry and gathered all that he would need for the remainder of his holidays at the burrow along with all the items he would need for his return to Hogwarts. Harry dragged his trunk out of his room along with the snowy white owl Hedwig in her cage downstairs to await Molly and Arthur. Halfway down the stairs he met his Uncles gaze.

"Where do you think your going?" he said with a patronising tone in his voice.

"Im going to stay at the Weasly's for the rest of the summer, didn't you get their letter?" Harry Retorted

"I did receive the letter, that doesn't mean your going though. This is my house and you are living in it. And while living in it you will follow my rules. You will not be going to stay with them." Harry hated being spoken to like a child. Every word that his uncle said made Harry swell with anger.

"And I suppose you can stop me huh?" Once Harry said this he realised the repercussions of his words. Vernon raised his left hand as if he was going to backhand Harry right across the cheek. Just so happens that he did. The slap could have been heard from down the street. Harry lay on the floor pressing his hand to his cheek in agony. Never before had Vernon hit him this hard before. Sure he had got the odd smack on the backside every now and again when he was young. It had been years however since Vernon had struck him.

As Vernon stood over Harry like the champion of an ultimate fighting ring there was a loud pop and Arthur and Molly appeared on the sofa.

"I see you and Petunia have moved some furniture Vernon" as Arthur was saying this to himself whilst glancing at the living area he saw Harry on the ground in the fetal position. "Harry what happened? Why are you on the ground? Is this blood?" Blood was now flowing from Harry's eyebrow. He wasn't losing that much blood but it was enough to notice.

"Harry are you alright?" asked Molly with a concerning look. She stared straight at Vernon. It was a look that could make a grown man cower in fear. And Vernon did just that. He was slowly backing away form Molly as if to think she was going to kill him.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!" roared Vernon straight at Molly "Don't come any closer, im warning you." Molly laughed at this.

Vernon was terrified. He should have been. Molly was very angry. Arthur started to whisper to Harry.

"Grab my arm!" as Harry lent in to grab his arm Arthur reached and grabbed Molly by the ankle. Suddenly there was a loud pop in Harry's head. He felt like he was being torn inside out then put back together. Pushed and pulled in every which direction. He thought it was the kind of feeling of being in a blender of a washing machine. When it was all said and done Harry was sitting in the Kitchen in The Burrow. Hurt and questionable looks gracing Arthur's face. Molly however was steaming. She looked like she was going to explode. Arthur quickly casted a silencing charm over the entire kitchen just so the rest of the family was not alerted.

"ARTHUR WEASLY, HOW DARE YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED? HE COULD HAVE KILLED THE POOR BOY!" Arthur now looked like Vernon did before he apparated them both here.

"Dear I only did what was best. We cant have you going around hurting everybody that lays a hand on Harry. Merlin knows that half the Malfoys would be in St Mungos now if that were the case."

"...I'm sorry dear, but we will talk about this later. For now we need to tell Ron and Ginny that Harry is here. Would you go and get them while I start making a little afternoon snack?" she seemed to have calmed down a bit now and was breathing at a normal pace. The vein in her forehead had gone away and she wasn't screaming anymore. Harry saw this as a good thing.

"Yes dear." As Arthur finished he lifted the charm on the kitchen and called the others down to the kitchen.

"Now Harry dear, Ron and Ginny don't know that your here. So I am assuming that it will be quite a surprise for them both. Now, I don't think it would be wise to cover up what has happened today, Ron and Ginny should know what happens there, they were worried sick about you. When they come down I think we should talk about it. If you don't want to however that is ok by me."

Trembling Harry spoke. "I think your right, I would like them to know. Im just a little scared, that's all."

Molly produced a caring and affectionate hug in Harry's direction. As Harry was melded to her he couldn't help but cry. Sobbing loudly into her he heard familiar voices. The voices of Ron and Ginny.

"HARRY! Your here? What's going on mum?" The voice was Ginny's. Ron had not said anything yet. Harry wasn't expecting him to. But then as soon as Harry left Molly's arms Ron Rushed over to him with arms wide and grabbed him in a very tight hug.

Not speaking a word, Ron and Harry stood there for a good ten seconds before Ron let him go. Arthur had just come back into the kitchen. With a long sigh he asked Ron and Ginny to take a seat at the dining table. In doing so neither Ron or Ginny took their eyes off Harry. Molly and Arthur were standing at the head of the table with Harry sitting next to them.

"Harry is going to be staying here for the rest of the summer" Molly explained. "We wanted to keep it a surprise, although when we got to his home we found him lying on the floor bleeding from his head. His mad Uncle had struck him across the head. Arthur apparated us all out of there quick smart. Harry will be staying here until you three go back to school and I will be personally talking to Dumbledore to see if we cant get Harry out of that horrible man's house."

The two Weasly children looked horrified. An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Then without warning Ron smashed his fist down on the table very hard. Ginny flinched and Molly and Arthur just looked at him.

"How many times have I told you to, Harry needs to get out of there. You didn't believe me when I told you that in our second year they had bars on his windows. Now look what has happened." Ron stormed off in a huff muttering curse's under his breath.

Ginny was speechless, she didn't know what to do or say. Instead she just stared at Harry hoping he would look at her. How could someone do this, to such a nice person. What did Harry ever do to them? He was such a pleasant person to be around. How could someone hit him? Her mind was racing a mile a minute when finally she spoke.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Harry didn't speak a word. Still in shock from what happened with his uncle and what just happened with Ron, he didn't know what to do. Molly moved over to Harry and placed an arm over his shoulder. With that Harry broke. He wrestled his way out of the slight hug and ran out of the Burrow.

"Harry!" Ginny screamed.

"Leave him be dear, I think he needs a little time to come to grips with what just happened. Don't worry he will come back."

Harry ran and ran. He ran until he couldn't run any more. By the time he was out of breath he was very close to the stream that flowed close to the burrow. The stream was as clear as day, with large pine trees following the river as far as your eyes would let them. Stumbling over to the river he got on all fours and started to slash water on his face to get rid of the dried blood from the now closed wound to his eyebrow. There was more of it than he thought. So many things were going through Harry's mind. What had he done to deserve that? Sure he spoke back to his uncle, but he didn't think that gave him the right to hit him like that. And what was with Ron? Harry had never seen him so angry before in the whole time he had known him. With that Harry started to cry.

As Harry looked down at the flowing water of the river, he started to think about what he should do about what just happened. He thought that if he spoke to Dumbledore then maybe he could get Harry out of there. He was still quite scared of going to Dumbledore with it and he knew that Arthur and Molly wouldn't tell him without Harry's consent. Harry was sick of people pushing him around. His uncle, Draco and Lucius Malfoy, Snape but worst of all Dumbledore. Of course Dumbledore had always been there for Harry, but he couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore knew everything that was going on at his relatives house and hadn't said or done anything. This made Harry incredibly angry. Every year Dumbledore always told Harry that things would "Not be for the best" or "Not a good idea" and even "Not yet Harry". The more Harry thought about this the more frustrated he got. With all the tears from his eyes drying up he lashed out in an unspeakable rage. With a deafening scream that could be heard from the Burrow, Harry had managed to call fourth his magical energy. Not on purpose, but in doing so the trees lining the river all started to lean towards Harry. With a final scream he through back his head and all the trees flung back away from Harry, most of which branches were starting to fall. Feeling incredibly week Harry fell to his knees, breathhing heavily he started to fall sideways. And with a loud thump he collapsed on the river-bed.

Back at the Burrow Molly and Arthur were talking about what they were going to do about the current situation.

"Molly dearest, we cant just go running to Dumbledore every time there is a problem with Harry. I think we should let Harry decide on what he wants us to do." Arthur told Molly as she stared out of the kitchen window in the direction that Harry had ran off.

"I know dear, its just that I am so worried about him. I mean look at him, he is only a boy. Sure he has grown up a bit since we first met him, but inside here" she said pointing to her head "he is still a boy. I cant imagine he would've had a lot of time to grow up properly with all that nonsense going on at the Dursley's. I do agree though. We should let Harry decide on whats going to happen. If he doesn't want us to go to Dumbledore then we wont. If HE wants to go to Dumbledore than we will let him." In all that Molly had said the thing that scared her the most was that she was correct. Harry hadnt grown up all that much. In more ways than one. He was close to being anorexic, his hair was going in every which direction, and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Not only that but he was completley lacking in any kind of confidence. Molly decided that this had to change. If Harry wanted them to speak to Dumbledore then she would, she was also going to suggest to Harry that she get him out of that dreadful house at once.

Whilst Molly was thinking away she heard a scream. It came from outside where she had been looking. Instantly she dropped everything and ran out of the burrow towards where the scream had came from. Arthur was sprinting to the best of his ability after Molly but she was a woman on a mission. As she was running she drew her wand. She was met with a terrifying surprise. The air seemed to have a coldness about it. She looked over towards Harry and saw that he was screaming uncontolably. All the trees along the river bed were leaning in towards him looking like there were about to snap. She watched in awe at what was happening right before her eyes. Harry was unleashing powerfull magic. And he was doing it without a wand! This horrified her, as she moved closer to Harry she heard one final scream and all the trees seemed to swing back to their original positions with a wicked force. Not fully comprehending what she just saw she looked towards Harry and found that he had passed out. She ran over to him picked him up and carried him back to the Burrow.


End file.
